Means for tempering water for concrete mixers and for cooling the motor therefor



Nov. 12, 1929. .1. c. MERWIN 1,735,615'

MEANS FOR TEMPERING WATER FOR CONCRETE MIXERS AND FOR COOLING THE MOTOR THEREFOR Filed May 24, 1927 S14/vento@ Patented Nov. 12, 1929 JOHN C. MERWIN, OE MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, 'ASSIGNOR vTo CHAINTBELT COMPANY,

OE MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, A CORPORATION OE WISCONSIN MEANS EOE TEMPERING WATER EOECONCRETE MIxEEs AND Eon COOLING THE I MOTOR THEREFOR y,

Application led May 24, 1927. Serial No. 193,891.

In the operation of concrete mixing machines generally and particularly'in connection with paving machines, the use of the internal combustion engine as the motor element is becoming increasingly common. This necessitates the employment ofv means for keeping cool the engine, and it is now recognized that the most eiiicient and economical system for effecting such cooling is what is known .as the tank system, in which is employed a large tank containing a body of water that is circulated to and about the engine and returned to the tank, where the heat takenup from the engine by the 'water is given ofl' by radiation. There are however disadvantages incident to the use of this system. For instance, it frequently happens that the radiation from the tank is not suiiiciently rapid to keep the temperature of the water employed for cooling down to the desired degree, and as a result the engine overheats. The remedy for this has usually been to draw off some of the hot Water within the tank and .replenish it `with cold water.,

This is a waste of water', which, especially when operating in arid regions, is very undesirable. Again, especially in the use of paving machines, the problem 'of taking care of this Waste hot waterl sometimes became serious, as it is not desirable to have the water dischargednear the machine, as it lwould be .likely to run upon thesubgrade "and there interfere with the working of iinegradingjust ahead of'the freshly poured concrete;

Further, it is desirable that the water used for cooling purposes should be free from cer-` tain impurities often found in the available water supply that may' be close toa given paving operation; but thishas not the past been foundl practicable Where the body of cooling water has to be Vconstantly drawn 'ofi'l and renewed, except by the expensive method of hauling desirably pure water for engine-cooling purposes from a distance.V y Myinvention has for its object to provide a cooling system for the internalcombustion engine operating a concrete mixer,that has the advantages of the tank-coolingsystem, that does not have the features of disadvantage that have been referred to, and that at the` same time may be utilized `-for heating Y mixing operations. y In the accompanying drawing I have illus-y trated my invention applied to a concrete mixer, by means of a single view largely diagrammatic in character, showing the mixing machine in end elevation.y v

Referring to such'drawing A designates the mixing drum provided at one end with an openinga throughwhich it is charged the water'that is employed in theconcrete Vwith the materials to be mixed, such as broken stone, sand and cement, and water 'suiiicient to hydrate the cement and' render the concrete sufliciently wet for handling. B desigs nates a sprocketchain by which the drum is turned, thischain being driven `by an internal combustion engine C through a'gear train that is n-ot illustrated in detail.

The particular style of enginey employedy is notmaterial, nor is the particular construction- Of the mixing drum, or the mechanism ,between the engine and theV 'drum by which the latter is revolved.

D indicates a tank in vWhichvis'held the'y water that is periodically delivered to the mixing drum as the latter is charged to pro-4 duce batches of concrete.V The tank is'intermittently iilled and discharged,`there' being means provided for governingthe amount of water delivered therefrom to the drum Vat each emptying of the-tank. VThis is a well known feature ofv concrete mixing machines and'it need not be further described. `E designates the pipe through which` water from the tank D is discharged/into the mixing drum. lThe flow ofwater to the tank D,

and from the'latter to the mixing drum, is

controlled by a three-way valve may be manually controlled.

2 designates a tank, preferably of rather large size, for containingy a supply of water lF which employed in cooling the engine C. Thereare Y circulating pipe connections 8 between/the Vengine and the tank 2, in -which is located a pump 4. The upper end of the tank is preferably itightly closed by a cover 5 Welded to v the body of the tank, andin this'cover. may

be formed a filling opening closed by a cap 6. The arrangement described" is adapted to serve as a closed circulating system for the water employed in cooling the engine. 'Ihe tank is filledjwith clean water and closed, and

-such water is used repeatedly and until it must be replenished. due to loss byi, evaporation or leakage.y

7 indicates'the supply pipe throughA which water fortankD and to be used in mixing the concrete is received; Y The water employed for this purpose may contain impurities that wouldmakeithighly undesirable asthe circulating cooling medium for the engine, but

which are not seriously undesirable in the mixing of the concrete. The pipe 7 Y is pro-v vided with a long coil 8 that is located within the 'cooling tank2, aiidlbetween the coil and the valve F in the pipe E there isa section of pipe 9.

' It Willbe understood from:V the foregoing description taken in connection V'with the drawingythatthe temperature ofthe water withinthetank-'2v is; reduced-,by the intermit- Y tent low of cool water through the coil 8 as greek.

l andthe warming'offthe water becomes absolutely essential ifthel concrete mixing is carried jf on jini freezing weather.

Itf, may-sometimes -happenthat the' flowI of cool or cold water through lthe coil 8 will reducethe temperature VAof the-.body ofi water withinthe tanky 2 to an undesirablylow de- I; therefore provide, between .the sec.- tions fand 9 ofthe-mixing watersupply pipe and outside the tank 2, aby-pass l0; andffurf v.ther provide aivalvellliin the Apipe TbetWeen thelbyfpasslandgthe tank 2,- andfayalvel in such by-pa'ss. l By properly. manipulating thesetwo valves, 18 anelli, the iiowthrough the ,coil i 81 can vbe entirely, cut* oif, as for-in#- stancefwheng-,the engine is firststarted vand itiis desirablegto quicklyl heat thel waterfwithin the tank 2. Iffatzany, time -itf` shouldbe found that'the water in rtheftank2is becom-l ing-undesirably cooly and the system,is-,run

ning; withV the; valve 13 closedand-vvalve 14 open, thesefvalveslmay,y be. -manipulatedso as to: diminish tlieiflow:l through thepipe 8V-and 'allowl some flow to passthroughthe by-pass lO.i Iarrangea pipeyconnevction'll between thebyepass 10. and tli'erinterior-of" the ltank 2 through which theflatterk may; be'y filled directlyffroin .thesup-plyy pipe 7 i, wlienlthisv is found practicable and desirable. -There is a cut-off valve l2 in the pipe 11. Y 1

The manner of using my invention will be apparent from the foregoing description takenlin connection with the drawings, and itsadva-ntages have been pointed outinthe description of the apparatus. Y

What I claim isp: i l 1, In a concrete' mixing apparatus the combination with a mixing drum and an engine for drivingit, ofa water-circulating system for. cooling the engine, including a tank con-` taining a large body of the water used for cooling, and a conduit through which water is delivered to the drum for wetting the material therein, the said conduit leading through the tank ofthe cooling water-circu-` latingi system, the parts operating as described to cool the water in the tank andto ieatthe water delivered to the mixing drum.

2.- Inla concrete mixing apparatus the com-` bination with a mixing drinn and an engine foi-driving it, of awater circulating system for cooling the engine, including a tank conf taininga large body ofI the water used'for cooling, another taiikfrom 'which water is periodically deliveredfto the drum for use lin mixing the concrete and afwater supply con* duit delivering to the second named tank, such conduit extending through theftank of the cooling, water-circulating system.

3. Ina concrete mixing apparatusthe coinbination with a mix-ing drum-and an engine for idriving it, off aclosed; water-circulating systemv for' cooling the engine, including'V a tankcontaiiiing a large body` of water used for cooling and pipe connections between the tank and the engine', a conduit-through which',

waterris delivered to the drumlasrequiredgfor concreteinixingpurposes, said-conduit havl inga coilportio-nlocated within the tanklof the cooling water-circulating system, Y and means for controlling thel flow of water through the. conduitirrespective of the flow of water in the coolingsystem.V i i 4, Ina concrete mixing apparatusthe coinfor, driving it, of a water-circulatingsystem for cooling the engine, including atank for rvcontaining a vrelatively large body of water; used forcooling, and ,circulating connections between the tank and1engine,a-tank in {bination-gwithamixing drum and an engine ,whichl water,- used in mixing the concrete is lcollectedand from which itis 'dischargedinto the mixing drum, afwater-supply conduit for n Vthe second-mentionedtank includingthe coil located withinthelftank ofthe circulating cooling water; systemy yanda valve by, which the flow of'water tothe second named tank andfrom thattank to the drum is regulated andcontrolled. l

5; In a concreteV mi-xing apparatus the combination with a mixing ldrum and an engine for driving^it,'/of a waterrcirculating system for coolingthe engine, ,s including a tank containing a relatively large body of the Water used for cooling purposes, a conduit through Which Water used in mixing the concrete is delivered into the drum, this conduit having a portion located Within the tank of the cooling Water-circulating system, and means for determining the proportion of thev Water that is delivered to the drum for mixing purposes that shall pass through the part of the supply conduit located Within the tank of the cooling Water-circulating system.

6. In a concrete mixing apparatus the combination'with a mixing drum and an engine for driving it, of a Water-circulating system for cooling the engine, including a tank containing a large body of the Water used for cooling, a conduit through Which Water used in mixing the concrete is delivered to `the drum, a portion of said conduit extending through the tank of the cooling Water-circulating system, a by-pass in' the said supply conduit by which the Water supplied to the mixer may be shunte'd around the said tank, and valves for controlling the flow of Water through the by-pass portion of the conduit supplying Water tothe mixer.

In a concrete mixing apparatus the combination with a mixing drum andan engine for driving it, of a Water-circulating system for cooling the engine, including a tank containing a largebody of the Water used for cooling, a conduit through Which the Water used in mixing the concrete is delivered to the drum, this conduit having a coil portion located Within the tank of the engine-cooling supply pipe.

l0. 'In a concrete mixing apparatus the A combination lwith a mixing drum and an engine for driving it, of a Water-circulating system for cooling the engine, including a tank containing a large body of the Water used for cooling the engine, a second .tank j in Which the Water used in mixing the concrete 1s collected and from Which it isperiodically delivered to the mixing drum, a conduit for supplying the second ta'nk,`includ-f ing`a coil portion located Within the tank of the cooling Water-circulating system, a bypass outside the said tank through Which the Water for mixing purposes may be kshunted past the coil portion Within the tank,

valves by which the lovv of Water through the said coil portion and the by-pass of the supply conduit may be respectively controlled and regulated, a pipe-connection leading from the by-pass to the tank of the cooling Water-circulating system by Which the latterv may be illed from the supply conduit, and a valve in the last said pipe connection.

` v JOHN C. MERWIN.

system, a by-pass located outside the tank through which Water supplied to the tank may be diverted, and valves by Which the relative proportions of Water-being supplied to the mixer, flowing respectively through the said coil and the by-pass, may be regulated. v

8. In a concrete mixing apparatus the combination With a mixing drum and an engine for driving it, of a Water-circulating system for cooling the engine, including a tank containing a large body of the Water used for cooling, a second tank in Which Water used in mixing the concrete is collected andv intermittently delivered into the drum, a

' supply conduit for the said second tank including a coil Within the tank of the cooling Water-circulating system, a valve for controlling the flow of Water from the supply conduit to the second tank and from the latter to the drum, a by-pass connected With the supply conduit located outside the tank of the cooling Water system and valves lfor controlling the flow of Water respectively through the coil and the by-pass.

9. Ibn a concrete mixing apparatus the combination With a mixing drum and an engine for driving it, of a closed Water-circulating system for cooling the engine, including a tank containing a large body of the Water 

